February 2019 Happenings
for Hope House in Mexico
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Here is our monthly (más o menos) newsletter to keep our friends and family updated on what is happening with HHCR and Hope House in Mexico. The newsletter will provide updates on the boys - especially the new ones - a little insight into the staff, teams, vocational training, projects, and items of special interest. If you know of someone that would be interested in HHCR/Hope House, Mexico updates, they can subscribe here.
A copy of last month's newsletter can be found here. If you go to this website there is a link to all previous newsletters.
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Hope House remains with a total of 18 boys. The floors in the main house have been retiled but work continues on other upgrades to the house. There are always more boys that the State would like to place with us. Remember, we have the space for 50, and with the current staff at Hope House we could go up to 28 boys but the goal at this point is to have up to 26 boys, holding space for 2 extra boys, just in case. Currently, only 75% of the monthly budget is available from all current donors, including Hope House Children's Relief. To meet the budget and keep the boys fed, there have been several occasions where staff have gone without pay, which by local standards, is low to begin with. This is the monthly challenge. Reaching (or exceeding) our monthly budget target through recurring donations is always our goal.
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One of the essential items that the staff strives for is providing the boys with security in their new home environment. This requires emergency training for the staff. The collage below shows the staff during such a training session. This includes carrying people to safety, proper operation of fire extinguishers, proper application of bandages and comfortably positioning injured people.
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Some the boys were involved in running in a race. The first photo below is showing two of the youngest ready to run. The photo below them is receiving a very special visit delivering a part of the donation that was received for the flag race. Not only were the boys having fun being involved in the race, but are also participants in providing supplies for Hope House.
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We have mentioned several times that Hope House augments public school education with in-house teaching. It is never to early to begin this process in the boy's lives. The collage below shows administrative director, Anel, with a class of the four youngest boys in the house. This in-house program will give them a kick-start when they enter the public school system.
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Speaking of education, Hope House feels it is important for the boys to be part of the public school system. This makes them feel part of the local community in addition to developing social skills. The photo below is of the boys taking part in the Mexican equivalent of pledging allegiance to the flag. The little boy in the front row doesn't look to happy.
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Each boy is very special to the staff and when notable achievements are reached, it is a confirmation of the success of the programs in place at Hope House. The photo on the left below is of Luis enjoying his 15th birthday. Each birthday is special to the boys as many have never had this kind of recognition before. On the right is a photo of a happy Luis. One of the programs at Hope House is to reduce the medication that they are often taking when they come to us. The impact of reducing medication is noticeable in improved attitudes, which not only benefit the boy but make the staff extremely happy seeing them become more "normal". This type of change is a definite mark of success.
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Hope House is extremely grateful for the response received in providing scholarship funds for the boys' education. One of the strains on the daily budget is tutoring boys in their regular schooling. The tutoring program is very successful, and the boys in this program are performing significantly better in school as a result. A tutor in the morning works with the boys attending school in the afternoon, and a tutor in the afternoon helps the boys attending school in the morning. The cost is $75 USD per tutor per week, or $150 per week for all tutoring. If you would like to help with this, it makes a huge difference in giving the boys hope for the future. Donations can be made here.
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Typically donations in the first few months of the year tend to decrease, in some cases significantly., which of course impacts the operation of a facility like Hope House as costs are continuous month to month. However, Hope House Children's Relief, a separate funding conduit, in contrast, has been the recipient of several good sized one time donations that have been very helpful. We have designated some to help with any shortfalls. In addition, we are attempting to gather sufficient funds to help out on another need. When Hope House was originally established, a laundry facility was implemented with limited funds. This resulted in commercial washers, which are still in good operating condition, but with household quality dryers. The dryers run 10 hours per day, six days per week and are not only insufficient to handle the load but are slowly burning out. We believe we have the funds to purchase a commercial dryer but may need additional support. We have asked Hope House to get estimates so we can proceed with this plan. Any additional help in this project would be greatly appreciated.
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Just to remind you that Hope House has a program available for donors who would enjoy sponsoring a particular boy. In this program a specific boy would be assigned to you. More information on how this program works, and how you can be part of it can be obtained by contacting Kina here.
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HHCR is staying steady at 63% of our goal. We are sad when we see some donors go, but we are always happy when more join our family of donors who desire to give the boys security and safety now, and hope for the future. In fact, one-time donors, during the month of February, almost matched the amount given by our recurring donors. This means HHCR was able to have available almost twice the normal amount we give to Hope House each month, as donations were received for almost every category. Thank you so much!
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The goal of $2,000 a month in recurring donations that Hope House Children's Relief intends to raise represents less than 25% of the Hope House budget. This is a continuing significant need. We would like to see that percentage increase but feel it necessary to reach our $2,000 goal first. For that we need your help. Remember, we have the facilities and staff for more boys but not sufficient funds to feed more.
Hope House also still has an urgent special need goal of $2,000 monthly for health insurance for the employees, some of which has been offset by additional donations. It is not only a desirable benefit but it is mandated by the Mexican government.. You can read more on the need at this link.
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